The present invention relates to electrical termination devices and, more particularly, to telecommunications terminal blocks.
Terminal blocks are typically used by telecommunications companies to connect connector wires of a multi-core cable to service wires that extend to customer residences or places of business. Such terminal blocks are typically located outdoors and may, thus, be exposed to environmental conditions, such as rain, snow, sleet, ice, temperature fluctuations, dirt, insect infestation and similar conditions that may adversely affect the electrical connections between the service wires and the electrical connectors. Thus, some form of sealant material may be provided in such terminal blocks.
Terminal blocks connecting telecommunications wire pairs, typically referred to as xe2x80x9ctipxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cringxe2x80x9d lines, may be located at a variety of points on the telecommunications wiring network, including cross-connect panels, hubs, pedestals, network interface devices (NIDs) and the like. It is generally desirable to use a re-enterable terminal as, in use, a terminal block may be used multiple times to make and break electrical connections as the service provided to particular customer locations may change over time. As such, the terminal blocks may be subjected to frequent use and/or abuse over time, which may degrade the quality of the resulting electrical connections, the environmental protection provided to the connections and/or breakage of the terminal blocks, which typically include plastic components. Furthermore, various known terminal blocks may be subjected to unintentional opening of the terminal block and breaking of the electrical connection as a result of wire installation work or the like being performed on adjacent terminal blocks in environments such as a cross-connect.
Embodiments of the present invention include telecommunications terminal blocks for making and breaking connections with a telecommunications conductor. The terminal block includes a base including a hinge member at an end thereof and one or more connectors mounted in the base. A toggle member is rotatably connected to the base at the hinge member. The toggle member has a conductor receiving opening therein and a conductor passage extending from the opening past the connector(s) toward the hinge member. A latching member is rotatably movable between a first state allowing rotation of the toggle member to a conductor receiving position and a second state locking the toggle member in a conductor terminating position in which a conductor in the conductor passage is electrically connected to the connector. A travel limit member proximate the latching member limits rotational movement of the latching member in the first state to a maximum rotational position in which the latching member is subjected to a stress below a yield point of the latching member.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the terminal block further includes a release member coupled to the base and/or the toggle member that is configured to allow movement of the latching member from the second state to the first state. The travel limit member may be positioned between the release member and the toggle member. The latching member may include a cross member positioned to contact a lead edge of at least one stop arm on the base in the second state of the latching member and a connecting arm that couples the cross arm to the toggle member. The release member may extend from a connection point on the latching member away from the base. The travel limit member may be positioned between the release member and the connecting arm.
In further embodiments of the present invention, the travel limit member extends from the toggle member toward the connection point and has a length selected to limit rotational movement of the latching member to the maximum rotational position. The travel limit member may extend between the release member and the connecting arm at an angle selected to allow the release member to be moved from a rest state to an activated state that allows movement of the latching member from the second state to the first state. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the travel limit member extends at least about half way from the toggle member to the connection point.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the release member is positioned adjacent the end of the base having the hinge member so that a conductor extending from the opening does not pass adjacent the release member. The base may be a unitary base and the connector(s) may be a first and second connector. The toggle member may be a removable toggle member and may include a softer material than the base.
In further embodiments of the present invention, the latching member includes a cross member on the toggle member positioned to contact a lead edge of at least one stop arm on the base in the second state of the latching member and to bypass the lead edge in the first state. The release member includes a lever arm on the toggle member coupled to the cross member having a rest position in which the latching member is in the second state and a flexed position in which the latching member is in the first state. Portions of the toggle member and the base subject to forces when the toggle member is rotationally moved may be sized so that the toggle member will fail before the base on repeated use.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the body cavity with the connectors mounted in the base may be devoid of openings up to at least an environmental sealant material fill level. The environmental sealant may be a gel. For example, the environmental sealant material may be a silicone gel that is placed in the body cavity in a liquid form.
In further embodiments of the present invention, the base defines a plurality of body cavities with respective connectors extending therein and the toggle member is a plurality of toggle members positioned adjacent respective ones of the body cavities. The connectors may include an insulation displacing connector on a first end thereof at least partly in the body cavity and a second connection region on an opposite end thereof extending from the base. The release member may be positioned adjacent the end of the base having the hinge member so that conductors extending from the openings do not pass adjacent the release member. The hinge member may be on an external surface of the base.
In other embodiments of the present invention, cross-connect assemblies are provided including a plurality of the terminal blocks of the present invention coupled to a mounting member. The cross-connect further includes a plurality of wires, respective ones of which are connected to ones of the second connection regions. The mounting member may be a frame and the base may further include an attachment member configured to couple the terminal block to the frame. In other embodiments, the mounting member is a panel having a chamber on a bottom side thereof that receives the plurality of wires and a plurality of openings on a top side thereof configured to receive the terminal blocks. The openings are in communication with the chamber and the cross-connect assembly further includes a potting compound in the chamber.
In further embodiments of the present invention, electrical connector blocks for making and breaking connections with a conductor include a base having a hinge member at an end thereof. At least one connector is mounted in the base. A toggle member is rotatably connected to the base at the hinge member. The toggle member has a conductor receiving opening therein and a conductor passage extending from the opening past the at least one connector toward the hinge member. A latching member is rotatably movable between a first state allowing rotation of the toggle member to a conductor receiving position and a second state locking the toggle member in a conductor terminating position in which a conductor in the conductor passage is electrically connected to the connector. The latching member includes a cross member positioned to contact a lead edge of at least one stop arm on the base in the second state of the latching member and a connecting arm that couples the cross arm to the toggle member. A release member extends from a connection point on the latching member a way from the base that is configured to allow movement of the latching member from the second state to the first state. A travel limit member extends between the release member and the connecting arm from the toggle member toward the connection point that has a length selected to limit rotational movement of the latching member in the first state to a maximum rotational position in which the latching member is subjected to a stress below a yield point of the latching member.